The reported experience with intraoperative chemical splanchnicectomy is suggestive of significant benefit in ameliorating or eliminating pain from pancreatic carcinoma. No control, randomized trial has been conducted to evaluate its utility. A majority of pancreatic cancer patients present with pain and undergo exploratory laparotomy for diagnosis and/or palliative bypass surgery. Less than 15% of patients will have a pancreatic lesion amenable to resection. A prospective, randomized, control trial examining the efficacy of chemical splanchnicectomy in obtaining pain relief can have a major impact on the options available to the surgeon in the treatment of patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.